Toomey, after a public town hall in Coudersport, was asked whether he agreed with comments made by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor about offsetting federal funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

"I do agree with that," Toomey said. "It's not as though we're unprepared for this situation. We know that at any time in this great country of ours there are storms, there are floods..." Toomey said it is "reasonable" to have a federal response, but that it should either be budgeted up front or offset by other spending cuts.

Cantor, during an interview with Fox News, said, "monies (for disaster) are not unlimited. And what we've always said is, we've offset that which has already been funded."

The Republicans in Congress' hard line on spending cuts is driving a debate about how emergencies should be funded by the government. When lawmakers return to Washington next week they may need to respond quickly to shoring up FEMA's dwindling disaster account. While it's unknown exactly how much Hurricane Irene will cost, the New York Timeswrote that it's estimated to be one of the most costly in America's history.